cursillo

What cursillo does

Cursillo is a Catholic spiritual development movement operating in Austria through diocesan sections in Vienna, Graz-Seckau, Linz, Feldkirch, Tirol, Kärnten, and Salzburg. It serves lay Catholics and clergy seeking to deepen their Christian faith through a structured three-day intensive course, supplemented by ongoing group meetings ("Groupo"), community gatherings ("Ultreya"), youth-specific programs, and retreat days. The movement traces its international origin to Spain in the 1940s and has been active in Austria and connected German-speaking regions for multiple decades, with documented 50+ year anniversaries in several Austrian and Croatian dioceses.

The core product is the three-day "Cursillo" course, in which participants experience guided prayer, group discussion, and shared reflection, followed by transition into the so-called "Fourth Day" community life of ongoing fellowship. The website cursillo.at functions as the national platform publishing news, event calendars, and "Impulse" spiritual reflections. Distribution is handled through parish and diocesan networks, with course venues hosted at monasteries, retreat centers, and parish facilities such as Stift St. Lambrecht, Klaraheim Kirchberg am Wechsel, and Stift Michelbeuern, including a long-running prison ministry program at Justizanstalt Stein. Spiritual leadership is provided by Claretine and Redemptorist priests including Pater Josef Garcia-Cascales CMF.

Cursillo operates as a volunteer-based, nonprofit religious movement rather than a commercial entity. It is connected to the international OMCC (Cursillo Worldwide) umbrella organization and to peer movements in Germany, Munich, and Switzerland, participating in events such as the Europa-Ultreya and Pentecost gatherings in Rome. Funding derives from donations and volunteer effort, with no disclosed pricing model or revenue figures, and the organization maintains no parent company, subsidiaries, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

cursillo

Legal name

Cursillo

Website

https://cursillo.at

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cursillo is a volunteer-based Austrian Catholic spiritual movement offering three-day faith-formation courses, youth programs, and ongoing Ultreya community gatherings through diocesan networks across Austria and connected international movements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catholic Spiritual Formation Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Spiritual retreat programs
• Catholic lay formation
• Faith development courses
• Religious community gatherings
• Christian spiritual exercises

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cursillo delivers a three-day Catholic spiritual formation course for lay people, followed by an ongoing "Fourth Day" community life built around small group meetings (Groupo) and larger Ultreya gatherings. Offerings extend to youth-specific Cursillo weekends, day-long retreat formats (Einkehrtag/Einkehrvormittag), and published spiritual reflections (Impulse) supporting continued Christian living.

Product overview

Cursillo is a Catholic spiritual development movement offering a 3-day intensive course ('Cursillo') as its core product, supplemented by Youth Cursillo for young adults, regular Ultreya gatherings for ongoing fellowship, and 'Impulse' spiritual reflection content. Participants complete the 3-day course and transition into the '4th Day' community life through group meetings and ongoing spiritual support. The organization operates through regional dioceses in Austria (Vienna, Graz-Seckau, Linz, Feldkirch) and connects internationally through the OMCC (Cursillo worldwide).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cursillo (3-Day Course) A three-day intensive Catholic spiritual formation course combining group discussions, prayers, and shared experiences, designed for lay adults seeking to deepen their Christian faith. Participants then transition into the 'Fourth Day' community through Groupo meetings and Ultreya gatherings.
• Jugendcursillo (Youth Cursillo) A version of the Cursillo course tailored to young Catholics, providing the same three-day formation experience adapted for youth participants and their life context.
• Ultreya Gatherings Regular community gatherings for Cursillo participants providing continued spiritual fellowship, shared testimony, and encouragement in Christian living, held at diocesan, regional, and international levels.
• Einkehrtag / Einkehrvormittag (Spiritual Retreat Day) Day-long or half-day spiritual retreat programs offered to parishes and groups for prayer, reflection, and community, supplementing the core three-day Cursillo experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4270 participants in 208 Cursillo events over 54 years in Carinthia alone
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• OMCC (Ökumenische Bewegung der Cursillobewegung / Cursillo Worldwide)coreOthersInternational umbrella organization connecting Cursillo movements worldwide, facilitating global gatherings such as Europa-Ultreya events.
• Cursillo GermanyregionalOthersGerman Cursillo movement (Cursillo-Bewegung Deutschland) connected through OMCC international network.
• Cursillo MunichregionalOthersMunich-based Cursillo movement (Cursillo München) part of the international network.
• Cursillo SwitzerlandregionalOthersSwiss Cursillo movement (Cursillo Schweiz) connected through international Cursillo network.
• Archdiocese of Vienna (Erzdiözese Wien)coreOthersHost diocese for Cursillo Wien activities, with Cursillo presence documented on Erzdiözese Wien website.
• Diocese of LinzcoreOthersOfficial Cursillo presence within Diocese of Linz (Diözese Linz).
• Haus Claret / P. Josef Garcia-Cascales CMFcoreOthersRetreat center (www.haus-claret.at) operated by Claretine missionaries, hosting Cursillo activities and led by P. Josef Garcia-Cascales CMF, a key figure in the movement.
• Diocese of Graz-SeckaucoreOthersHost diocese for Cursillo Graz-Seckau activities, with Cursillo Steiermark operating under this diocese.
• Emmaus Society St. PöltenregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteers from the Emmaus Society collaborate with Cursillo at Stein Prison, running 3-day Cursillo programs for inmates since 1987.
• Diocese of Gurk (Diözese Gurk)regionalOthersCroatian Cursillo activities in Kärnten connected through this diocese, celebrating 50 years of Cursillo in Croatia in 2024.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Legio Mariae: International Catholic lay association of faithful organized in small parish-based praesidia for apostolic and spiritual work. Partial overlap with Cursillo in mobilizing lay Catholics through small-group parish structures, though focused on apostolic visitation rather than retreat formation.

Broad incumbents

• Taizé Community: Ecumenical monastic community in France organizing large youth gatherings and retreats with Christian contemplative focus. Parallels Cursillo's retreat-based Christian formation and youth programming, though ecumenical rather than strictly Catholic.
• Regnum Christi: International Catholic federation of lay and consecrated members running formation programs, retreats, and youth evangelization. Comparable to Cursillo in retreat-centered Catholic formation and youth outreach.
• Neocatechumenal Way: International Catholic lay formation movement founded in Spain, with itinerant catechesis and small community model. Broader and larger-scale than Cursillo but targets the same lay-Catholic formation-and-community niche.
• Communion and Liberation (CL): Catholic lay movement originating in Italy with strong presence in Austria/Germany, focused on Christian education and community life. Comparable to Cursillo as a lay-led Catholic formation movement with retreat-based programming.
• Focolare Movement: Global Catholic lay movement promoting spirituality of unity through small group gatherings and retreats. Overlaps Cursillo in providing lay formation and ongoing community, but operates at much larger international scale.

Others

• Haus Claret (Claretiner-Missionare): Claretine missionary retreat center in Austria that hosts Cursillo weekends and is led by P. Josef Garcia-Cascales CMF, a key figure in the Austrian Cursillo movement. Functions as a venue partner and spiritual anchor for Cursillo-Austria.
• OMCC (Cursillo Worldwide): International umbrella organization coordinating Cursillo movements across more than 60 countries. Not a peer but the apex coordinating body that defines Cursillo's global methodology and connects the Austrian national office to worldwide chapters.

Direct peers

• Cursillo-Bewegung Deutschland: German national Cursillo movement operating the same 3-day course + Groupo/Ultreya method across German dioceses. Direct peer operating the identical Catholic formation methodology in a neighboring DACH market.
• Cursillo Schweiz (Cursillo Switzerland): Swiss national Cursillo movement running the same Cursillo weekends and Ultreya gatherings for German-speaking Swiss Catholics. Same movement, same method, different national chapter.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cursillo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about cursillo